2 Reading

a) Read the text and write a list of uses of the computer, or computer applications, add as many as you can think of. Discuss them with other students.

What can computers do?

Computers and microchips have become part of our everyday lives: we visit shops and offices which have been designed with the help of computers, we read magazines which have been produced on computer, we pay bills prepared by computers. Just picking up a telephone and dialling a number involves the use of a sophisticated computer system, as does making a flight reservation or bank transaction.

We encounter daily many computers that spring to life the instant they’re switched on (e.g. calculators, the car’s electronic ignition, the timer in the microwave, or the programmer inside the TV set), all of which use chip technology. What makes your computer such a miraculous device? Each time you turn it on, it is a tabula rasa (нечто чистое, нетронутое) that, with appropriate hardware and software, is capable of doing anything you ask. It is an electronic filing cabinet which manages large collections of data such as customers’ lists, accounts, or inventories. It is a magical typewriter that allows you to type and print any kind of document – letters, memos, or legal documents. It is a personal communicator that enables you to interact with people around the world. If you like gadgets and electronic entertainment, you can even use your PC to relax with computer games.

b) Tick (√) the computer uses mentioned in the following article:

[ ] home [ ] art [ ] hospitals [ ] banking [ ] engineering

[ ] libraries [ ] shopping [ ] film-making [ ] television advertising [ ] schools

Computers are part of our everyday lives. They have an effect on almost everything you do. When you buy groceries at a supermarket, a computer is used with laser and barcode technology to scan the price of each item and present a total. Barcoding items (clothes, food, and books) requires a computer to generate the barcode labels and maintain the inventory. Most television advertisements and many films use graphics produced by a computer. In hospitals, bedside terminals connected to the hospital's main computer allow doctors to type in orders for blood tests and to schedule operations. Banks use computers to look after their customers' money. In libraries and bookshops, computers can help you to find the book you want as quickly as possible.

3 Listening

Computers in everyday life

a) Match these words (1-8) to the correct locations (a-d):

1. games 2. machines 3. tickets 4. wages

5. flight 6. letters 7. barcode readers 8. tills

a. a factory b. a supermarket с. a travel agent d. a home

b) Listen to the recording. Identify which place is described in each extract:

1 -

2 -

3 -

4 -